Attempting the Coast to Coast on £50 bikes - Whitehaven to Sunderland!

[@25inspector]

Proof one doesn't need an expensive bicycle to enjoy touring! Great video.

[@matlockmeat]

But it helps. I'd imagine riding a sh1tter of a bike is an extremely bad experience compared to riding a decent bike.

[@Phil-qz6oc]

What a fantastic video. Three mates braving the elements and spending their days on their bikes. This is something you’ll remember forever, and I’m incredibly envious. Well done boys.

[@deanaird]

Thanks, Phil. It was an incredible few days and we're hoping to get back on them soon for another crazy adventure.

[@damedavidfrith55]

I did 120 mile ride on a bike bought for £35 quid a hard tail mountain bike ,well done 🎉

[@DIY-DaddyO]

225km in 2.5 days is good going. Well done, and well done for showing what can be done on the cheap. Enjoy the next adventure ✊

[@cubgsan]

Good day to you! I am a grandpa rider on HONDA motorcycle from Japan. Enjoying camping ,touring and upload video. Your Bike challenge video is so nice! Awesome! Full supported ! Have a nice day my friend!

[@deanaird]

Thank you for the kind words @cubgsan 🙂

[@ronpowell6372]

Hi Dean nice short sharp but informative vid…thanks for posting it. C2C is on my bucket list for next spring nice to know about Garrigill Village Hall with the camp site and bunkhouse so good that I’m pencilling in a visit in for January to do some walking up there amongst the mine ruins…oh and I’ve just subscribed…take care and continue enjoying your recycling cycling…..Ron

[@hughjaars2285]

Hugely impressed that you stuck at it carrying those loads on those bikes. I did something similar this summer on a Dawes hybrid I got from eBay for £50 (added new chain, cables and decent brake pads). For anyone one looking to go bike packing on a budget 90’s steel framed hybrid bikes are ideal, they roll a bit better than mountain bikes and are a bit lighter but are super cheap, tough, comfortable, nice low gears and easy to fit bottle cages, racks etc. We used a Dawes Synthesis and Raleigh Pioneer.

[@deanaird]

Thanks @hughjaars2285 . Great tip to use some of the older 90's Hybrids. It's great to hear people sharing similar stories and showing what you can achieve on a budget. I did look at a few hybrid options before the trip, but no joke, as soon as i started showing interest in buying a bike, its like they knew and the prices went up by 50% overnight on Facebook, eBay, Gumtree, etc.... and I got very desperate with only a few weeks to go until our C2C Trip 😂

[@r.davies2702]

You absolute bunch of headers boys 😂 I can only imagine that Idea sprung to life after a few beers, mental. Although it does show you don't "need" all the best kit etc. Well done boys, fantastic ride 💪

[@deanaird]

Yep, that is exactly how we came up with the idea 😂 The £50 budget was probably not the best idea we've ever had, but we made it work.... Well, 2 of us did. Thanks for taking the time out to watch. I appreciate it 👍🏻

[@toolscarriagesmodellbauand7246]

I did something similar on a 23€ Hercules bike in Germany and had a lot of fun. Bestwishes from Germany

[@paralogregt]

Quite a few folks have cycle round the world on such cheap bike. Just shows you don’t always need the best but good equipment does remove some of the frustrations of repairs

[@tonyfrewin4822]

Great ride guys. The reality of uk cycling and weather 😢. You did well.

[@deanaird]

Thanks Tony. It was a real struggle waking up on that 2nd day and continuing after the 1st day we had. I'm really looking forward to my next bike-packing adventure.

[@leesaunders7232]

Videos like this put me off bikepacking in the UK. Day after day of shit, miserable weather even in Summer. No thanks. 👎

[@jasonridyardhome]

Great vid Dean, really enjoyed it Don’t suppose you have the GPX files saved so you?

[@deanaird]

Hi Jason. Thanks, appreciate your comments. - I only tracked it per day unfortunately, and i don't have a full GPX file of the entire route. I can see you've just followed me on Strava, and the ride is on there. So you should be able to pull the files off from there. Let me know if not.

[@jasonridyardhome]

Thanks very much Dean

[@jasonridyardhome]

@@deanaird Got them thanks Dean, looking at going mid April, fingers crosses for the weather.

[@keithwesterman4897]

My mate did the coast to coast on an old bike he bought from a car boot sale for 60 quid. The only bloke who didn't manage it was riding a top of the range Marin 🤣🤣

[@jimmy6283]

I honsetly love the freedom of rideing alone, i do 20km a day min and love it

[@mattlast4093]

great vid, what was the app you were using @4:40? cheers

[@deanaird]

Thanks for watching 🚲 That app is Komoot. Probably one of the best apps I've used tbf

[@TheCoopsvids]

Brilliant mate ..well done to you and your mates … deffo deserved a longer video that …what did you use on phone mate to navigate the route pls. Cheers Paul 👍🏻🚴

[@deanaird]

Thanks Paul, appreciate it 🙂, and I used Komoot for the navigation 🚲

[@TheCoopsvids]

@@deanaird do yiu have to pay for that one mate

[@deanaird]

@@TheCoopsvids The app itself is free. There are some paid features such as downloading the GPX File, Offline Maps etc...

[@TheCoopsvids]

@@deanaird cheers will have a look mate

[@stevezodiac491]

I did a similar coast to coast ride for charity from Whitehaven to Redcar ( 125 miles ) It took me 6 hours 38 minutes with 3 short sandwich and drink stops, not joking either !

[@crimmy69]

You should of contacted the Guinness book of records because the record is 7 hours 53 minutes and 3 seconds

[@stevezodiac491]

​​@@crimmy69I am a time triallist. I rode along the A66 all the way, my highest speed was going down Bowes Moore at 43 mph and I wasn't even on my TT bike. I have also done 100 miles in less than 4 hours and a 25 mile time of 54 minutes 56 seconds ( average 27.4 mph ) on a Dunlop hotta perimeter tt bike with specialised TT wheels. The speed i did on the charity Coast to coast ride was done at a much slower pace than I was capable of because I was on a normal bike with drop handle bars with TT bars attached and the fact that I knew I had to finish it for the charity and it was nowhere near any sort of a record that a good Time Trial rider could achieve. I have won open TT races in the past, when I was younger.

[@baggies5000]

you lieing get

[@arturduarte113]

What is the app you've used to record your data/travel? It's very brave and admirable of you guys to set off on cheap, used bikes. The vast majority of bikepacking enthusiasts use incredibly expensive fancy bikes and equipment. It kind of puts one off doing it ourselves. Personally I do lots of 3 to 5 hour journeys, long loops, anything between 40 to 75km (on a cheap 3 speed hub gear bike), there're no hills around here, it's all very flat South Cambs, my local area. Guess it's time I started planning on a cross-country, multiple-day journey. The weather is definitely a deterrent. Rain and wind are a true enemy of cyclists and frighten the hell out of me. I do get soaking wet quite often - it's just about bearable now in the summer, if/when we're heading home. Thanks for the idea/encouragemen 🚲. 😅

[@deanaird]

Hi arturduarte113 , the app I used is Komoot. When my Brother and I came up with the idea of doing it on cheap £50 bikes, our goal was to show people that you don't need the latest, greatest, and most expensive gear to get out there and enjoy Bikepacking. I'm glad this video has given you the encouragement to get out there and plan some cross-country/multi-day trips. You'll have to give me an update on how it goes 🙂

[@arturduarte113]

@deanaird Thanks again.The 'screenshot' (?) you've posted at the end of your video with the map, and the data didn't look familiar. Hence, I've asked about the app. I'm familiar with komoot. For sure, it must be somewhat easier, with higher morale and confidence to have fancy gear, bike, etc, to face the elements, doing Lands End to John O'Groats or what have you (pushing it a bit far perhaps). But as you exemplified, just as much fun to do it in an old banger, even if you tumble over downhill at speed 😆 (I'm sure guys in fancy bikes tumble over from time to time). To do it with friends even better. Yes, if and when I'll hv all my gear ready, courage 💪, I'll post it here. Cheers 😃

[@unclepete100]

Any recommendations on rain-wear? Cheers.

[@deanaird]

Hi Pete. I tend to just wear what I'd normally wear out hiking/biking but then always pack a "packaway" jacket and trousers set. Trespass or Regatta do a good set, and they've never failed. The only reason I got drenched on the 1st day of our coast to coast trip was because I took the waterproofs off and never put them back on. Rookie mistake. I kept them on for the remainder of the C2C and I was as dry as a bone

[@unclepete100]

@@deanaird thanks

[@davidcoomber4050]

The only problem with cheap bikes are the tyre breaks saddle and weight apart from that they are every bit as good as an expensive bike apart from the peddles and gears and crank and chain

[@deanaird]

I think it depends on what you're doing. The purpose of the video is to show people that you don't need to spend £1000's on a bike to enjoy the sport/hobby. This bike was more than capable of doing the coast-to-coast on road/gravel track, even with cheaper components. But would I send this down RED/BLACK trails and jumps at Woburn... Probably not. If I had to make 1 complaint it was the bike only having VBRAKES. It was a white knuckle ride coming down Whinlatter Forest, lol. But the challenge was to only spend £50 (or less) so I can't complain.

[@davidcoomber4050]

@@deanairdI have a massive hill outside of my house and I ride up it three times a day on a Carrera with two five pound weights in the saddlebags , when I ride my gravel bike it feels like a electric bike in comparison to, we done on your ride 👍respect!

[@dalmaximus]

I don't suppose you can share the route via garmin, Strava etc?

[@deanaird]

Hi, i got the GPX file from cycle.travel/route/c2c There's an option to "Get the Route" and you can download the GPX file from there.

[@dalmaximus]

@@deanaird thank you

[@AJP-kf7wq]

@@deanaird best route planner by far

[@1gg1nz]

Missed opportunity to put friends lost... 1 😂

[@deanaird]

I think Joe said the same thing when he watched it 😂

[@matlockmeat]

Are you the group of lads that did a day round a bike park on £50 crazy bike shaped objects? After a work colleague had claimed their cheapo bike was the same as your expensive one?

[@deanaird]

No, that wasn't us, unfortunately. But that sounds mental, lol. We've spoken about going to a bike park on them at some point, so that might have to be our next trip/vid.

[@matlockmeat]

@deanaird I'll find the story, it had me in fits of laughter. The lads that did it were a decent standard of riders and were over tslojg people on the descents on these super market nasty bikes. It sounded hilarious.

[@paulannable3734]

Enjoyed watching that. That weather would have stopped me. You should try the Way of the Roses - a beautiful route and it doesn’t dump you out in Sunderland!

[@deanaird]

Thanks for watching Paul. The weather was tough, and it was hard to stay motivated, especially on Day 1. I'll have a look at the Way of the Roses 👍🏻 I think I might upgrade the bike before I do anymore long distance cycling though 😂

[@johncollins2557]

Dump you out? Sunderland is absolutely stunning. The best coast in any city in Britain and its where the c2c ends